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There are plenty of different meeting incentives, and many different legitimate business reasons to give those business meeting incentives to nearly anyone from employees to suppliers and even political associates. The ultimate business meeting incentive might not be a pay raise, a bag full of money, or even that nice covered parking spot next to the CFO’s parking spot. Instead, it might be a corporate sponsored cruise. Here’s why:
Any company considering leveraging incentive travel effectively needs a quick crash course in psychology. This is true whether the recipient is an employee, client, partner, supplier, or even a friend in the government. Psychologists refer to the rule of reciprocity when talking about gifts that are given without any strings attached, and that is arguably the best way to offer incentive travel. Don’t believe it? Read on…
Psychologists and sociologists agree that societies revolve around the rule of reciprocity, which states that a recipient of a gift is effectively indebted to the giver. One good turn deserves another, or so they say. This rule is ingrained so deeply in our minds that it is impossible to get out. Don’t believe it? Think of how Hare Krishinas make their money, and realize that they have hundreds of properties and centers throughout the country, and thousands throughout the world all funded on donations given to people that are generally regarded as annoying. How did they become so wealthy despite being nearly universally avoided and disliked as beggars? It is because they offer flowers or trinkets before asking for donations.
This same force can work for companies that offer no-strings attached incentive travel. Workers will feel indebted and become more loyal and productive, partners may start offering better deals, that friend in the government may be willing to repay the favor someday. Generosity has its perks, so be sure to make travel incentive a no-strings attached deal for the best results, even if it seems counterintuitive.
Even if the money is available for corporate travel incentives such as ship charters, this type of travel may simply not be feasible for one reason or another. Oftentimes, trips are complicated to plan due to scheduling conflicts. However, businesses must still hold essential meetings with their employees on an annual, semi-annual, or quarterly basis. To make these meetings more enjoyable and memorable, businesses may want to consider other types of incentives. When the travel itself or the location of the meeting is not necessarily an incentive, there are other ways that businesses can motivate employees and show their appreciation.
Favors can make excellent incentives. As a rule, incentives given to employees at meetings should somehow relate to the task at hand. The majority of items distributed as incentives should be useful and relevant to the meeting. A few of the incentive items should be things that will simply make the employees or meeting participants happy. For example, coupons or vouchers for free coffee or dessert at a local coffee shop is a great way to make employees feel appreciated. Other types of incentive products that are well-received include things such as pens, notebooks, coffee mugs, and shirts. These items should be branded with the business' corporate logo.
When companies desire to plan incentive travel for top-performing employees, they often choose meeting venues such as hotels and resorts. While there are many benefits that hotels and resorts can offer, these meeting venues often come with a hefty price tag. For budget conscious companies, this presents a real dilemma. They have to figure out how to reward employees without burdening their budget. Instead of choosing more traditional meeting venues, consider an incentive cruise. An incentive cruise can be more affordable than a hotel or resort because of their all-inclusive amenities. From accommodations to entertainment, everything is included in a ship charter
All-inclusive amenities offered with a cruise event include things such as ocean view suites with butler services and complimentary beverages. Incentive cruises also offer participants a wide variety of dining venues with gourmet cuisine, complimentary transportation, and in-suite dining is complimentary as well. Entertainment and recreational activities such as fitness classes are also complimentary. Compared to land venues, businesses can save as much as 40 percent with meetings at sea. An incentive cruise can be easy on a business' incentive travel budgeting program. When businesses desire to save money, choosing a cruise event with all-inclusive amenities may be the answer for which they have been searching.
Meetings have the capacity to be soul-crushing events or very lively, team-building exercises if they are properly planned. Meetings that are about creative problem solving can be broken up into two stages with a break in the middle.
The first stage is one where all ideas are accepted and negativity is simply not allowed. This promotes better idea sharing and creates a more open atmosphere that allows others to build off of ideas that may or may not be practical. The second meeting is one where negativity and even constructive criticism still need to take a back seat to the priority of choosing the most reasonable plan. Emotional investment in ideas should be distributed due to the very nature of the first meeting, and thus nobody should be championing a cause to further their own ends.
Another idea would be to give people special seats on corners when they are ‘idea’ people. The seats are honorary positions that change whenever a new idea comes up that is useful. Some meeting planners have special incentives ready for whoever spends the most time in one of these chairs, such as a covered parking spot for a period of time.
By following the aforementioned ideas and/or being a little creative, it is possible to create strong incentives without having to actually spend any money. Furthermore, productivity gains from smart meeting planning can be phenomenal and almost impossible to put a price tag on.
When we think of cruise ships in the corporate meeting and event planning world, we usually think of business meetings at sea, conferences held while traveling up the coast or incentive cruises that stop in multiple ports. However, we often overlook the many benefits of using cruise ships for stationary events – as floating hotels, which allows you to take advantage of simple, convenient event planning and reap the money-saving benefits of hosting your event on a ship without ever leaving port.
Whether you are looking for accommodations for out of town participants, a large venue for a conference or trade show, or several smaller meeting spaces for an executive retreat, employee training or award ceremony, you may want to consider a cruise ship venue. Just as you would when planning an event at sea, this allows you to take advantage of one upfront cost and easy planning for catering, equipment, décor, meeting spaces and, if needed, accommodation. Hosting a meeting or event on a docked cruise ship can be particularly cost-effective if your company or client is headquartered in a port city. Attendees can then be responsible for their own transportation to and from the venue and the need for arranging lodgings will be minimal.
Hosting your next meeting or event on a cruise ship in port will add a unique appeal for attendees and can result in significant cost savings for your client or company.
Whether you are planning a day-long corporate event or an event that takes place over a number of days, you will more than likely be asked to schedule some sort of entertainment into the itinerary. In the case of multi-day events, you will need to consider activities and entertainment options for several different time slots, since naturally there will be downtime between meetings or at the end of the day. While scheduling organized outings, entertainers, social functions or other entertainment options will certainly be necessary, you may want to consider interspersing planned activities and free time during periods of downtime throughout your event.
There are a number of advantages associated with designating certain days or evenings as free time to allow the attendees to plan their own activities. The most obvious and significant advantage is the money that will be saved, followed closely by the fact that allowing for free time means fewer events for you to plan, which makes your job easier. Experiencing significant cost savings and having less planning to do is reason enough to schedule in free time; however, there are also additional benefits of opting for self-styled entertainment options.
Scheduling in free time is sure to please attendees who would rather explore the city, go out for a drink or retreat to their rooms after a long day of meetings. It also allows you to avoid risking folks not showing up due to lack of appeal or simply being too tired after the day’s activities.
When planning meetings and events, the venue is often the first selection made in the planning process. Selecting the right venue that has the amenities and meeting rooms to meet your clients’ needs is paramount to a successful event and must be determined before other aspects of the meeting can be planned. Due to the importance of meeting venues to your event planning process, using the same venues on a regular basis and developing long-term relationships with your contacts at these meeting venues will make your job easier, will ensure that your client receives topnotch service and can save money.
When you use the same venues regularly you will become familiar with exactly what they offer, will know what to expect and will benefit from venue staff being able to anticipate your needs. You can also receive discounts for booking multiple meetings and may even get priority for popular dates. When you build relationships with meeting venue staff, you will also naturally begin to build relationships with local vendors and will likely get tips from the staff on which vendors provide exceptional service or great prices. When you can call a local caterer and tell them that you were referred by your contact at a local hotel with which they often do business, you are much more likely to get a great price and great service, making your job easier and helping you keep your clients happy.
The best incentive programs to motivate employees include rewards of money or travel. People love to win trips to destinations that are different from their own environment. Trips to exotic destinations such as an incentive cruise to interesting ports of call are among the most popular incentives, and tend to have the best ROI overall.
Seasite.com, the first online group cruise meeting planning portal, allows planners capitalize on the value of cruise meeting and incentives. Cruising can cut the cost of land based venues by as much as 25-40%, allowing planners to persevere with today’s shrinking budgets. Why not make your next corporate incentive event a meeting-at-sea ? Take a look at Seasite.com today!
